Epperly Adventures: February 2016

Shea and Kiera standing on finished concrete

Finishing the concrete with the sun going down.

This week, we have successfully finished one of the most technically difficult cement pours on the hospital project to date. It took a lot of hands, and weeks of planning and preparing. Thankfully, after many hours of work, 3,600 sq. ft. on the second story over the operating rooms has been successfully poured. The project started at 2 am and wasn't complete until nearly midnight. It took 7 separate cement loads, 86,000 lbs of sand, 86,000 lbs of rock, 30,000 lbs of concrete, and 20 men, to finish this difficult, but rewarding project. It was awesome to see this wonderful team in action. After having been apart of this monumental pour, it has given me a great opportunity to look back, and see all the ways God has answered prayers over the last 3 years in Canilla, Guatemala.

The book of Joshua does a great job of encouraging a step of faith with the power of our Lord behind us. As the Israelites prepared to take the promised land, God tells Joshua in chapter 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" I can think of dozens of men and women who have taken this verse to heart as they have plunged head first, into obedience to whatever God has asked of them on this Guatemalan project. I also know that many more steps of faith, and many known and unknown challenges lay in our future.

Ryan and I several pours into the job.

Duane and I after the final pour.

As you go on reading in Joshua (specifically chapter 4), God gives the Israelite's many unbelievable victories. One of the most notable being the parting of the Jordan river. In the midst of the miraculous, He wanted to make sure the Israelites did not forget one of the most important things. That is, To Remember. After parting the Jordan river, God asks the Israelites to stop and build a memorial in the middle of the river, where they had crossed. The men of Israel obediently took 12 large stones(boulders) and built a memorial as a remembrance of what God had done in that place.

Filling up the cement truck with rocks and sand.

I think, we as Christians, often forget to really dwell on the miraculous things God has done in our lives. We quickly move on to the next challenge, while wringing our hands, and wondering how God will help us through the next obstacle. To finish this blog, I thought it appropriate, to list all the ways I have seen God answer prayers over the last 3 years on this hospital project in Guatemala. This list is in no particular order of importance, and by know means exhaustive. For my family and I, it is important to spend time remembering what God has done.

Gods answered prayers:
1. A perfect piece of land for hospital use in an area where flat land is not easy to find, with room to expand(8.1 acres)
2. Enough donated finances for raw materials, labor, land, and equipment.( Nealy $ 700,000 has been given directly, and many other materials given specifically...always right when we needed it)
3. Having 3 separate groups(AIM, PAPA, and DOCS) come together and work well together for the Glory of God.
4. A badly needed rock crusher and conveyor
5. A cement truck(nearly junked in the US, but now has provided 100's of cement pours in Canilla)
6. A deep full well with a well pump
7. A transformer and backup generator
8. Dependable Guatemalan crew that works hard and is always smiling.
9. A great Guatemalan licensed physician who loves the Lord, and the Guatemalan people
10. We have numerous examples of favor with the government on a multitude of issues.
11. A nursing school's simultaneous development and excellent progress
12. Two 40 foot containers of medical equipment delivered from a remodeled hospital in Texas, and several more on their way)
13. A multitude of people from all over the world, with unique skills and a desire to serve Him.
14. God is good!

The cement going up to fill the wheelbarrows.

Quickly moving the cement

Beau and Reids favorite thing to ride

Grace and Kiera riding with Ryan

The girls eating soup with the sun setting.

Sometimes seeing God's love can be difficult. Life has a way of beating us down with difficulties, or lulling us to sleep with its predictable norms. Either way, we often fail to see and appreciate the depth of God's love. If we look close all of us can see his love, and feel his arms around us.

I've been able to take a step back the last month and see His creation through the beauty of nature. I see Him in those we serve with on a daily basis. I see Him in the Guatemalan children, with their bright eyes and big smiles full of hope for the future. I see Him in the newborn infant who is crying in his mothers arms. I see Him in the many ways that this project has brought together the body of Christ! All of this just scratches the surface on the love God has for us. In Ephesians 3:17-19 it says:

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of the fullness of God."

Heres some pictures showing the beauty that is in Guatemala!